Hinode
by RyuukiSuisei
Summary: A NaruHina. Passive and shy, Hinata was always picked on by the older girls at a convent. She was always alone and had no friends. That is until he showed up and gave her a taste of what it's like to have friends.
1. Prologue What she had lost

Prologue _What She had lost_

"Please Otousan, don't send me to the convent. I promise I will get better. Please, don't make me leave home. OTOUSAN!"  
The girl held on to her father's leg tightly. The man grabbed her roughly and threw her to the guards standing by.  
"You are a disgrace to our clan. How I wished I never had you for a daughter. You have no talent whatsoever at the art of fighting. And it's useless to keep you at the clan house if you are just going to be a nuisance. Therefore, I must get rid of you. From now on, you are no child of mine, your existence shall now be concealed from our clan history, and you no longer bear the name of our clan. If it wasn't for my promise to your dead mother, I would have put the Seal on you as well. Now guards, take her away from my sight, I no longer wished to behold her presence"  
The little girl was dragged quickly out of the room, her quiet sobbing getting farther and farther away, until the room was silent. The man sat down, his hands shielding his face. Teardrops fell gently on to the marble floor.  
"My dear daughter, please forgive your father. I was…too weak to prevent the council's decree. If…If I had only been stronger, no harm would have come to you. Kamisama…bless my daughter and keep her from harm. I could not bear losing another of my sunshine. Please Kamisama…return her to me…one day."


	2. Chapter 1 What Fate Brought Her

Chapter 1 _What Fate Brought Her_

"Um…Kurenai-sama, I am done with my chores." Timidly, the little girl approached her superior. The woman smiled and patted her on the head gently.  
"That's good Hinata, but didn't I order you not to call me that. Calling me that makes me feel old." The woman joked good naturedly.  
"But Kurenai-sama, you are the head priestess, and others all address you as such. I could not be the only one to not do so." Not meeting Kurenai's eyes, Hinata shyly sat down.  
Kurenai frowned. She knew perfectly how Hinata was picked on in the convent. Because of her passive nature, other girls took advantage of her and ordered her around. Hinata never complained to any of the priestesses though and did what the other girls told her to do. However, Kurenai could often hear the soft sobbing coming from Hinata's room. When Kurenai questioned her about other girls' abuses, Hinata always denied the fact. Kurenai felt if she reprimanded the other girls, the abuses would only get worse. Therefore, she resolved to keep her as her personal attendant. She would train her personally and in a few years, hand over the head priestess position to Hinata. Kurenai knew Hinata would be more than qualified. Not only was she a good learner, she possessed a rare gift, the ability to heal wounds without incantation. Also, although Hinata had forgot, she also possessed a innate bloodline, which she had yet to activate. However, it's only a matter of time, and once she possessed it, she would become the best healer of the convent.  
Kurenai again smiled at the little girl. "Hinata, where did we leave off yesterday…

Several miles away, a little boy was being pursued by several ninja. There were about five men total, all of them constantly throwing kunais at the little boy. The little boy kept dodging but never strike back. The little boy kept running, until he reached a small rundown church. He banged on the gate but no one came out to answer. Finally, the men caught up with him and formed a half circle around him.  
"Little demon, it's time to pay back for what you did nine years ago." One man, who seemed to be the leader, took out a katana from his back and was just about to take a swing at the boy when a woman's voice cried out, "Stop the violence at once, you are at holy ground." The woman, who appeared to be around twenty, swung the gate open and hid the boy behind her.  
"You bitch, get out of the way or we will kill you"  
"I will not, why do you wish ill on this boy. What has he done to you"  
"That's none of your business. Now, I will count to three, if you do not get out of the way, priestess or not, we would not hesitate to kill you"  
The woman sighed, "Why do you ninja always had to resort to violence"  
"One"  
"Is there no other way to resolve this"  
"Two"  
"Fine, guess there's no other way"  
The men advanced on the woman, who pushed the little boy back and faced her attackers. She flashed through several seals, too fast for the men's eyes to catch. Then softly she said, "Genwaku Hirameki no Ranpu(1)."  
White light blinded the men and the woman flashed through another set of seals.  
"Tomoshibi no Shitsunen(2)!" Another blinding flash of light appeared out of nowhere, and when it faded, the men were gone. The woman then turned to face the little boy, who catching her movement, slowly backed away.  
"It's okay, I am not going to hurt you." The woman said kindly. The boy, however, was still backing away. The woman could only imagine what the boy must have experienced to be so terrified of her. Mumbling a silent incantation, she then found the boy on the floor sleeping. Smiling to herself, she gently picked him up and headed into the convent.  
"Looks like Hinata is going to have a playmate."

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1. Genwaku Hirameki no Ranpu - Blinding Flash of Light, cast a strong flash that blinds the enemies.

2. Tomoshibi no Shitsunen - Light of Oblivion, summons light spirits that transports people away outside of twenty miles radius, but also make them forget what they are currently doing.

Weird Jutsu I know, but remember that Kurenai is a priestess and priestess do not kill. Also, since Kurenai was originally a Genjutsu master, I just thought it would be nice for her to use something that mess with the mind.

There's chapter 1, hope you guys like it. It's my first story so please take it easy on me. I have chapter 2 down but still had to fix various things. R&R! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 2 Destiny in Motion

Thank you readers for all your reviews! If you guys have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to give them. Of course I might not take all the suggestions because I think I have the story set, but you never know. I want to thank the particular readers/authors for your reviews: **Sailorchix**, **Almostinsane**, **Tsukishiro**. You guys are embarrasing me with praises, nevertheless, Arigato. Now, on with the story.

Chapter 2 Destiny in Motion

The boy groaned and opened his eyes. He was in a small room lying on a futon. Getting up slowly and expecting the sharp pain from his wounds, he felt nothing. He observed his surroundings. The room was almost empty except for his futon, a dresser, and a table. On the table, there was some scrolls, couple of books, and a picture frame. The boy approached the table and looked at the picture. There was a small girl about his age smiling timidly. Behind her, a beautiful woman was patting her on the head. The sight of the woman jogged his memory.  
"That was the woman who saved me…" His thoughts were disrupted by the faint footsteps approaching the door. The boy quickly got back on the futon and feinted sleep. The door slide opened and the person entered the room. The boy peeked through his eyelashes at the unknown intruder.  
It was a girl, carrying a tray of food. When she got closer, he discovered it was the same little girl from the picture. The girl placed the food on the table and was just about to exit the room when she heard noises behind her.  
"Um…You should rest a little bit more, your body needed time to recover. If you are hungry, I prepared some food for you. If you need anything, please feel free to ask." When she attempted to go out again, the boy's voice stopped her.  
"Where am I?" The boy asked.  
"Well, you are in a convent. Kurenai-sama rescued you from a group of men and I healed your wounds." The little girl answered quietly.  
"Really! You can heal people? That's amazing"  
"Well, I just started my training. Kurenai-sama is better than I am though." The little girl shyly replied, faint blush adorned her cheek.  
"You must be good then, all my wounds were healed. Say, what's your name? My name is Uzumaki Naruto." The boy approached the girl. The girl getting nervous at his sudden closeness backed away slowly.  
"Um…M..My Name I..Is Hinata, Uz..Uzumaki-san." The girl continued to back away until she tripped on the tail of her robe. Flailing her arms attempting to recover her balance, she felt a hand grabbed on to her wrist. Setting her upright, the boy smiled.  
"It's ok Hinata-san, I don't bite, so you don't have to be afraid of me"  
Hinata saw that there was a hint of sadness in the boy's eyes, and even though he was still smiling, his smile dimmed somewhat after he said that. When Naruto saw her staring at him, his smile got big again.  
"Ne, Hinata-san, is it okay to eat? I am kind of hungry." As if to emphasize his point, his stomach grumbled rather loudly. Giggling softly, Hinata was surprised by his forwardness.  
"It's okay Uzumaki-san, please enjoy"  
Smiling even bigger, Naruto devoured the food like he hadn't eaten for days. Hinata sat down on the opposite side of the table and watched in amazement. The tray was empty after several minutes, and Naruto sighed in contentment.  
"Delicious! Did you make these Hinata-san?"  
"Yes, today was my turn to cook lunch and Kurenai-sama asked me to bring you the extra."  
"Thanks, Hinata-san. Say, could you show me around this place? I could use some exercise after that delicious meal." Naruto asked eagerly. The girl blushed again at his compliment.  
"Um…I guess that would be okay, but I had to ask Kurenai-sama first." Saying this, Hinata got up and headed toward the door. Naruto also followed her out.  
"Man, Hinata-san, this place is actually pretty big. When I first saw this place I thought this place was really small." Naruto stopped, his smile disappeared. He was reminded of his previous experiences and how close he nearly died. Sensing Hinata's eyes on him, he put on a smile, while attempting to push back the dark memory.  
"Well, Uzumaki-san, this convent is under a strong magic shield. You see, all the outsiders would see is just a small abandoned church. We generally don't have visitors"  
"Why"  
"I don't really know myself, Kurenai-sama never mentioned the purpose"  
"Well, then I guess I am the first guest in this convent huh? I felt pretty special." Naruto then did a little victory dance which Hinata had Hinata giggling again.  
They continued down the hall until Hinata stopped. Knocking gently on the door, Hinata said, "Kurenai-sama, may I enter"  
"Come in Hinata-chan, and bring that boy in also." A voice called out.  
Hinata slided the door opened and got in. Naruto hesitated for a second before entering the room.  
The room was spacious, decorated softly with violet and lavender. The room smelled of scented herbs and sweet flowers. There were several bookcases filled with books and scrolls. Sunlight streamed in from the open window. At the far right of the room, a woman was sitting behind a desk. She put down the scrolls she was reading and got up.  
"Ah, Hinata-chan, I see you are quite acquainted with our visitor already." The woman smiled slyly.  
Hinata looked down, her face completely red. Seeing this, Naruto took a couple of steps toward the woman and exclaimed, "Kurenai-sama, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. Thank you for saving me from before." The boy bowed.  
"A boy with manners, it's so rare nowadays to see such a well bred boy. Say Naruto, why were those men chasing you?" The woman walked away from the desk until she was several feet away from Naruto. Tensing suddenly, Naruto looked down. Seeing this, Kurenai decided to change the topic.  
"Well, Hinata, why don't we continue our lesson tomorrow? Since I persume you are here to ask to show Naruto-san around? I'm sure he could use some fresh air after being confined for two days."  
Raising his head quickly, Naruto exclaimed, "I was here for two days!"  
"Yes, you were badly injured and not to mentioned exhausted. I casted a strong sleeping spell on you so you would rest completely. Although I have to say your recovery seem to be faster than normal"  
"Oh, it must be Hinata-san's healing then, I never felt this refreshed before." Hearing this, the girl's face became crimson. Noticing this, Kurenai suppressed a chuckle and ushered them out, "Well, Hinata, make sure not to stray far from the convent. You know there's wild animals in the forests. Also," Kurenai walked back to her desk and picked up a necklace. "I believe this is yours." Tossing the necklace to Naruto, she smiled at the two. "Have fun you kids"  
"Hai, we're leaving now Kurenai-sama." The girl bowed quickly and followed the boy out the door. When the door slide shut, Kurenai approached the window. Shielding her eyes from the strong sunlight, Kurenai smiled.  
"Uzumaki huh, I believe I've heard of that name before. And if he is what I think he is, then half of the prophecy is fulfilled. The rest would be up to you, Hinata-sama."

So, there's Chapter 2. I know there's somethings left unexplained, like why was Naruto being pursued. Never fear, it would be revealed in good times. Just bear with me ok? Also, if you have questions, please ask me, I would do my best to answer your questions. Until the next Chapter, Ja-ne.


	4. Chapter 3 Alone No Longer

Hi you guys! School's starting and since I am a senior and all, I had to deal with my college application and SATs. On top of that, I still have hard classes, 5 APs and IBs! So please excuse me for updating slower from now on. Anyways, you guys are the greatest, giving me such positive response. Although no one had asked me anything or gave me any suggestion. It's fine really, if you guys like my story the way it is, then I am happy! Anyways here's the newest chapter, enjoy!

Chapter 3 _Alone no longer_

Naruto and Hinata sat down in the middle of a meadow, both tired from the walking. The constant breeze ruffled the green grass and swayed gently their hair. After they ate some snacks that Hinata brought, Naruto lied down on the grass, enjoying the scenery.  
"Hey Hinata-san, you must love to live at the convent huh? It's so peaceful and quiet." Naruto put his hands at the back of his head and looked up into the sky. Hinata brushed her hair behind her ear and looked away from Naruto.  
"Well, to tell you the truth Naruto-san, when I was first brought here to the convent, I hated it. The older girls treated me like a servant and I had no friends here. I would often try to run away but was always caught by Kurenai-sama. One night, I ran as far as I could and stopped by a creek. That was when I noticed three big wolves right behind me. They cornered me and forced me to climb a tree. I then slipped and fell into the creek. When I woke up again, I was back at the convent. Kurenai-sama was sitting by my bed. Instead of scolding me, she patted me on the head and told me that whenever I wanted to go to the forest, she would take me. That was when I stopped running away. I guess after a while, I had come to love this place." Naruto stayed silent watching Hinata talk. He was surprised by her sudden revelation. When she talked, she had a far away look, almost like she was reliving her past. When she finally finished, he quickly averted his eyes and looked toward the forest before Hinata turned to face him again.  
"So Hinata-san, why were you brought to the convent?" Naruto quickly asked. His face a little red.  
Hinata looked down on the ground and remained silent. Naruto noticed her behavior and quickly waved his hands in front of him.  
"Hinata-san, it's ok if you don't want to talk about..." he was cut off by the girl.  
"I was an orphan. Kurenai-sama found me and took me in." Hinata was surprised by her own words. She never told any one about running away or being an orphan. She always was afraid that if she tell someone at the convent about herself, she would be treated even worse by the older girls. All the girls in the convent came from powerful rich families and she didn't want to admit she didn't even know who her parents were(1). She willed her self not to cry in front of Naruto, but couldn't stop herself. Naruto felt he must cheer her up somehow.  
"Well, Hinata-san, to tell you the truth, I am also an orphan. My parents went out one night and never came back(2). Then the townspeople kicked me out. Some ninjas spotted me and chased after me. I ran and ran until I came here. That's when Kurenai-san did powerful techniques that made the ninjas all go away!" When Naruto got to the part about Kurenai, he became really excited and got up to copy Kurenai's movements. Hinata quickly wiped away her tears and stood up also. After watching Naruto for a while, she laughed gently at Naruto's antics, knowing secretly that Naruto was trying to comfort her. Naruto then turned to Hinata. "Hinata-san, you said that no one wanted to be your friends at the convent right? Well...Well, how about if I be your friend, what do you say?" Holding out his right hand, he looked at her in the eyes.  
Hinata stared at his brilliant cerulean orbs for a moment before slipping her small hand into his. "I would love to, Naruto…kun"  
"Then we'll share stories about ourselves. I'll start. I was born in a small village, I had a mom, a dad and we lived in this small house…  
They talked for hours, most of the time with just Naruto talking and Hinata commenting now and then. When they finally got tired of talking, they lay side by side on the soft grass looking at the clouds. It was not long before they succumbed to the sleepiness and both drifted off. Throughout the whole time, they still held on to each others' hands, as if never wanting to let each other go.

(1) About Hinata being a orphan, I would eventually explain in the later chapters.

(2) About Naruto's past, I would explain that also in later chapter as well.

Well, guys, that's it. Hope you guys liked it. I will try my hardest to update as soon as I can. Until next time then, R&R. Ja-ne.


	5. Chapter 4 A Promise

Sorry for the late delay, I vowed myself to update faster, and the next chapter will probably be tomorrow. My school works are just a little overwhelming right now, but I promise you guys I will continue this fanfic since you guys seemed so interested. This is a short chapter but the next one will be longer so just be a little patient. I want to thank you guys for your reviews, it really feels nice to be appreciated. Also for those who asked about the long paragraphs, it's because on my computer, I had to upload the story onto notepad and notepad lumped all the words into one paragraph. So sorry guys, I will ty my best to separate them. Anyways, on with the story!

Chapter 4 _A Promise_

Three weeks had passed by, Hinata and Naruto had become really inseparable. Only when it's time for Hinata's lessons, were they away from each other. Kurenai noticed Hinata had brightened considerably, smiling and talking more. She also no longer cared about what the other girls called her. She even stood a girl up when the girl made fun of her. The girls noticed the change and finally left her alone with Naruto. Although she was happy, she somehow knew it wouldn't last.  
At the end of the month, an old man accompanied by two men showed up at the convent. The old man was apparently a good friend of Naruto's parents and he decided to adopt Naruto. Kurenai, who had been searching for Naruto's relatives for the past month, contacted him. At first, Naruto was adamant about the idea of leaving. But finally, he realized that he could not stay at a all girls convent forever. He tried to find Hinata to tell her the news, but she was no where to be found at the convent. So, he went to the meadow and found her sitting on the ground hugging her knees. When Hinata heard Naruto approaching, she quickly got up and turned away from him.  
"Hinata-chan, I am leaving." Naruto said sadly.  
"I know Naruto-kun, I heard from Kurenai-sama." Her voice was quiet, Naruto had to strain to hear her. They stayed silent for a while, then Hinata turned around, her eye blood red and tears running down her face. "We'll still be friends though right?"  
"Of course, Hinata-chan. I promised you I would be your friend right? And friends we will be forever." Naruto said with a conviction. Hinata then wiped her tears away and nodded slowly.  
"Yes, we'll always be friends."  
"Here, Hinata-chan, I want you to have this." Taking his necklace(1) from his pocket, he put it around Hinata's neck. "This is the thing that was most important to me. But now, I have found something more important." Hinata blushed at his words and after hesitating only for a bit, hugged the boy in front of her.  
"Promise me Naruto-kun, that we will meet again." Hinata held on to him tightly, never want to let him go.  
"We will Hinata-chan, I promise you we will meet again."

(1) - the necklace's importance will be explained later in the story.

For those readers that are going to ask, Naruto had to leave the convent for my story to work, so don't worry, Naruto and Hinata will surely meet again. Also, the next chapter will advance the time to four years later, so the things like Naruto's and Hinata's training will be explained in later chapters. PLEASE R&R, and thanks again for reading this story.

P.S. For those who did not know what the title meant, Hinode meant sunrise.


	6. Chapter 5 An Unexpected Mission

Hey you guys! I finally finished revising the chapter, and sorry for breaking my promise to update yesterday, but I was dead tired from school and slept after my homework. But here it is, the next chapter, hope you guys like it. (Thanks for your reviews)

Chapter 5 _An Unexpected Mission_

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, stop it!" A girl with striking pink hair and warm green eyes got in between and tried to separate the two young men, who were pointing the kunais at each other's throats.  
"Not until the teme apologize for having a stick up his ass!" Despite his words, the blonde retracted his kunai somewhat after girl spoke up. The raven hair boy, however, remained rigid.  
"Sasuke-kun, please stop it, Sensei would be here soon." The girl reasoned with the boy. The boy with the blonde hair leaped away from the raven hair boy and turned to his pink hair teammate.  
"Sakura-chan, you think we will get the C-rank mission"  
"I think we are qualified, we had done twenty D-rank mission already and Sensei even told us that we would get one soon." The girl smiled at the blonde and stole a quick glance at the raven hair boy.  
"Tch, even if we did get one, dobe here would just screw it up as usual." The boy named Sasuke finally spoke.  
"What was that, teme, you want to start something?" However, before the two boys could fight again, a voice made them all turn toward a tall tree nearby.  
"Yo, sorry I'm late, the meeting took longer than expected." A man with silver hair and black mask leaped down from the tree. The mask hid half of his face and his forehead protector covered his right eye. Even though the three could not see his expression, they could tell he is anxious about something.  
"So Kakashi-sensei, did we get it?" Naruto asked his sensei, the other two also awaited the reply.  
"Yes, we will leave tomorrow morning. Training is suspended today. Also be sure to pack some warm clothes, we are heading North"  
"Hai," the three Genins responded at once and just when they were about to go, the Jounin stopped the blonde.  
"Oh Naruto, your grandfather wants you in his office"  
Naruto nodded and promising to meet up with Sakura and Sasuke later, he took off toward the Hokage tower."

"Hinata-chan, you tired?" A woman turned toward her companion.  
"No Kurenai-sama, I could still walk." The girl reassured the woman.  
Kurenai smiled at the young teen. Hinata had gotten taller, her movement no longer seemed awkward, having been trained excessively by Kurenai. Her soft blue hair had grown past her shoulder and for the purpose of traveling, she had tied it into a ponytail. She is dressed in a simple priestess gown and plain white traveling boots. In fact, her entire attire was white except the dark blue stone necklace by her neck. What changed the most about her was perhaps her eyes. No longer ebony, they had become gleaming silver with golden irises.  
She had just finished her priestess training and right now is on her way to meet up with the ninjas that are going to escort her to a convent up North. Kurenai had told her that she had to teach Hinata and the convent up in the North is known for powerful healing techniques. Therefore, Hinata decided to follow Kurenai's advice and learn more about how to save people. What Kurenai failed to tell Hinata is that the Convent is also know for its slaying magic, since up North, monsters are in huge numbers. Given the peaceful nature of Hinata, Kurenai knew she would never agree to learn magic that harms others. However, Kurenai is convince once Hinata gets there, she would have no choice but to learn to protect herself. Also, there was an added bonus that comes from this journey, and Hinata will soon find out what it is.  
"Kurenai-sama, how much longer?" The girl asked in a quiet, yet confident voice.  
Kurenai smiled at her change of personality, no longer wavering and shy.  
"Soon, Hinata-chan, very soon."

Naruto passed by the Chunin gurads, who bowed and opened the door. Inside the office, an old man was busily writing in his scrolls. When the door closed with a click, the old man put down his pen and smiled at the boy.  
"Hey grandpa, you wanted to see me?" Naruto sat down in the chair opposite the old man without been told.  
"Yes Naruto-kun, I have a extra mission for you." The old man handed him the scroll he was just writing a minute ago. Naruto skimmed the content quickly, then a big smile appeared on his face.  
"So I will finally be able to see Hinata-chan again"  
"Yes, her mentor requested you specifically to be her personal bodyguard. But I figure your team needed the experience as well, so I gave Kakashi and the entire team 7 the assignment"  
"But what's this about the extra mission?" Naruto asked.  
"Well, I am asking you to do whatever is necessary, persuasion or force, to make Hinata come and stay at Konoha forever"  
"But she's a priestess, how can she…You don't mean"  
"Yes, Naruto-kun, I'm asking you to marry her."

What? Hinata and Naruto getting married? What's going on? A little of their history would be explained in the next chapter and those two's family actually go way back. Guess you have to read the next chapter huh? Anyways, thanks for reading _Hinode, _I hope you guys would give me some good comments! Well, until next time!


	7. Chapter 6 The Marriage Contract

My longest chapter yet. Sorry for my screw up, I accidently omitted chapter 5, but I had fixed the problem. Also, for some of the readers, you may think that I rushed the marriage too quickly, but in this chapter, I would hopefully dispel your fear. You may find out Naruto isn't exactly thrilled to be married. As for my promise to give you guys the history between Naruto and Hinata, it's all in this chapter. Thanks for your guys reviews, I really enjoyed writing to such appreciating readers. Arigato! So here's the latest chapter of _Hinode_, hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 6 _The Marriage Contract and the Ancient Prophecy_

"What do you mean marry? My relationship with Hinata-chan is purely just friendship. You have no rights to ask me to do something like that!" Naruto stood up indignantly and glared at the old man.  
"I know you would be surprised..."  
"I am way passed being just surprised, I am outraged that you would just marry me off to someone without my consent. I demanded an full explanation why you would do something like this." Naruto folded his arms across his chest and waited.  
"Well, Naruto-kun, I believe it's not really my place to tell you this"  
"Then who the hell is!"  
"He would be here right about now..."  
Just then, the door opened and a chunin walked in and bowed.  
"Hokage-sama, Hyuga-sama required your attention"  
"Send him in."  
"Right away sir." The chunin walked out only to return later with a tall man. The chunin then bowed again and shut the door when he walked out of the room.  
The man was taller than Naruto by a head and wore a traditional clan-head robe. The Hyuga symbol, which was the sun(1), was on the front and the back of his robe. The most distinct part about this man was perhaps his eyes, which at first glance, appeared to be all white without pupils. The man noticed Naruto but made no gestures for him leave. Naruto observed this man for a long while, as he had been accustomed to do every time he met a stranger, and found the man showed no hatred toward him.  
"Hokage-sama, it's been a while." The man addressed the old man politely.  
"Yes, I believe so. But let's cut to the chase why I summoned you. Hiashi, could you please explain why you requested this mission to Naruto here." The Hokage gestured toward the young man, who had became composed again.  
"You are Uzumaki Naruto, are you not?" the tall man asked the young genin.  
"Yes, Hyuga-san, I believe we have not met before." Naruto replied in a polite tone.  
"I am Hyuga Hiashi, the clan head of the Hyuga clan. Now, Naruto-san, you might not know me, but your father certainly did"  
"You know my father?" Naruto asked incredulously.  
"I did. In fact we were great friends and later teammates of the same genin squad. I was actually your father's best man when he married your mother. So you could say I know your father quite a bit…" Hiashi said in a almost playful tone.  
"Please Hiashi-san, could you tell me where my mother is?" Naruto burst out.  
Hiashi sighed. "I am sorry Naruto-san, that I had no knowledge of. Your parents were out one night ten years ago and then they just disappeared. I had sent many Hyugas searching for them, but I had found no trace of their whereabouts"  
Naruto slumped back into the chair that he had occupied earlier. The Hokage cleared his throat to remind Hiashi why he was here.  
"Sorry to remind you of your parents Naruto-san, but I must apologize for making you suffer the pain for a little longer. For what I am about to tell you concerned your parents as well as myself."  
"It's quite alright Hiashi-san, please continue." Naruto said in a quiet voice.  
"Well, it all began ten years ago, when your father approached me with an offer of marriage. You understand that I would be extremely pleased that such marriage could take place between our two families, seeing your father came from a very powerful clan. However, the council of the Hyuga was fiercely against this idea. You see, your mother had no clear clan and history, so they believed that the marriage was a disadvantage for the Hyuga. I of course, secretly signed a contract with your family anyway, and you would then eventually marry my elder daugher, Hinata"  
"Hinata was your daughter? But she said she was an orphan." Naruto interrupted.  
"Yes, that was the doings of the council. They had placed a seal on Hinata's memory to make her forget that she was a Hyuga. You see, Hinata was my first wife's child, who had passed away after giving birth to Hinata(2). The council had always hated my first wife, who was not a ninja and was just a commoner. My second wife, however, was from the famous Kizoku-clan(3). She gave birth to my second daughter, Hanabi, who was supported by the council to be the next clan leader. Therefore, the council decided to get rid of the first born and I of course was powerless to stop them. After placing the seal on Hinata, they send her to a convent."  
"Then why do you want me to bring Hinata back here?"  
"Because Naruto-san, I believe I had found something interesting that could convince the council to change their mind about Hinata"  
"What could that be Hiashi-san?" Naruto asked.  
"Hinata's mother was actually from Oozora-clan(3), the clan of the second Hokage"  
"What?" The Hokage exclaimed.  
"Yes, these past nine years, I had been searching for my first wife's parentage and had found this pedigree in the Konoha library." He set a book on the desk.  
"Why didn't you inform me of this Hiashi?" The Hokage demanded.  
"Because I wanted to make sure, Hokage-sama. Not until I see my daughter could I confirm my suspicion. If I am correct, my daughter should manifest two bloodlines now. However, the Oozora-clan's bloodline would be more dominant, and so her eyes should change, turning completely golden color.(5)"  
"This is incredible Hiashi, I was so sure that the Oozora-clan was completely wiped out in the shinobi war between the leaf and the rock." The Hokage flipped through the Oozora-clan's pedigree, tracing the family line until his finger rest on a name.  
"Mitsukai Oozora." The Hokage said out loud.  
"Yes, Hokage-sama, that's my first wife's name. Except she used her mother's maiden name as her last name, Mitsukai Henshin"  
"But grandpa, if the council approve of Hinata, would I still need to marry Hinata?" Naruto asked.  
However, it's Hiashi who answered Naruto's question.  
"Yes, Naruto-san. You see, there was an ancient prophecy that stated that Konoha would face great hardships in the future. But if an angel from heaven under disguise be one with the whirlpool and descend upon a village of the leaf, evils would give away to the light"  
Seeing Naruto utterly confused, Hiashi explained, "Naruto-san, Uzumaki means the whirlpool, and Oozora means the heaven. Hinata's maiden name is Henshin, which is disguise"  
"And be one means marry, but what makes you so sure that the prophecy is correct?" Naruto, losing his patience, demanded rudely.  
"Well, Naruto-san, did you give away your mother's necklace to Hinata?" Hiashi ignored Naruto's tone.  
"Yes, I gave it to her when I left the convent."  
"Then the first part of the prophecy had already been completed."  
"But there was no mention of the necklace anywhere in the prophecy."  
"The necklace was by your parents suggestion, the confirmation of the marriage contract.(6) For you to give Hinata the necklace, meant that you had agreed to the marriage and you and Hinata was officially betrothed. You, of course had no knowledge of this, and so for you to do that, this is clearly Kami-sama's doing"  
"Look, Hiashi…san, with all due respect, I had only known Hinata for a brief time. For us to be marry all of the sudden, I simply could not accept. And I am sure that Hinata-chan would not agree to this either."  
Hiashi did not miss the honorific added after her daughter's name. He concealed his amusement and said, "Look Naruto-san, you don't have to marry Hinata right away, you are just betrothed right now. I even give you permission to set the marriage date. I just want to see my daughter, so if you could return her to me, I would be grateful to you." Hiashi bowed.  
"Hiashi-san, I do not promise you that I would return Hinata to you. However, I do promise this, I would do everything in my power to protect Hinata-chan. As for her staying in Konoha, that all depended on her own decision. I would play no part in persuading her to return. As for the wedding, you could talk to Hinata-chan herself, if she returns that is. Good day, Hiashi-san. I'll see you later grandpa." Naruto then opened the door and exited.  
After the door had closed once again, Hiashi then turned to the Hokage.  
"Well, that went well, didn't it Sarutobi?" Hiashi smiled.  
"I guess, but you really had to excuse my grandson's behavior, he could be very rude sometimes."  
"No, I was glad that he was not afraid to voice his opinions. I am more convinced now that he had taken after his father. By the way, are you ever going to tell him the location of his mother?"  
"I am afraid he is not strong enough to lift the seal(7) yet, Jiraiya had been teaching about the seal but he still did not know enough"  
Hiashi sighed and looked out the window at the disappearing form of the blonde hair youth. "I really owed his parents too much, if it wasn't for the stupid council, I would have adopted him"  
"You know you cannot do that, Hinata could not marry him if he is her brother"  
"That's true. However, I hope soon he could find the happiness that had been deprived from him since childhood"  
"I am sure Hinata could give him just that, from what I had heard from Kurenai anyway."  
The Hokage paused for a moment then continued, "By the way, do you know why I am sending Hinata up to the North?"  
"No, I had came to ask you that question."  
"Well, my other student is at that convent, waiting for her."  
"It's HER!"  
"Don't worry Hiashi, she is more than competent to teach your daughter all she needed to know. Maybe a lot more than she needs."  
"How long would my daughter remain there?" Hiashi asked.  
"Well, that would all depend on how fast she learn." Hokage replied simply.  
"I just hope Hinata would forgive me after she returns."  
"You are that confident that she would huh?"  
"Of course, I am sure Naruto-kun could make her come home. After all, he is his father's son, and the great Uzumakis never fail a mission."

(1) - I kind of made up the Hyuga symbol because I did not know the symbol, so bare with me okay?

(2) - About Hinata and Hanabi's mothers, I kind of made this up as well to make it fit into my story.

(3) - A clan of my design. Kizoku means aristocrats.

(4) - Oozora-clan was also my creation, Oozora means heaven.

(5) - You would soon find out in later chapters why Hinata's eyes are of different color.

(6) - the necklace had another important use, which you would find out in later chapters.

(7) - Naruto's mom is being sealed away by someone, who would make appearance in later chapters. As for Naruto's father, I will give you guys the option. A. He died. B. He is still alive. Make your decision and I will incorporate that into the story.

Well, that's the end. Hopefully you guys would give me a decision soon. Also, I might not update for a while (meaning maybe for one week) because of SAT, so sorry guys. But I promise you I would try to write the next chapter next week. Thank you guys, R&R!


	8. Chapter 7 The Kunai and the Scroll

Hey you guys, sorry to update so late, but I was out with my friends last night after the SAT. So today, I quickly wrote this chapter. Really am sorry to take this long. Thanks for your reviews though, although, not a lot of people voted for whether Naruto's father is dead or alive. So far, it seemed like both choices are about equal in vote. Hurry guys, I need your votes. (Personally, I think keeping Naruto's father alive is going to make the story funnier, but the other option is also good.) Well, enjoy the latest chapter!

Chapter 7 _The Strange Kunais and the Foreign Scroll_

The Konoha streets were particularly crowded today, since today was its market day. Various exotic items from the other ninja villages like spices, incense, perfumes, weapons, porcelain, and dyes were sold in the village for this one day of the month. Naruto was standing by a vendor's stall, examining some strange looking weapons.  
"Are these kunais?" Naruto asked the man.  
"Hai, those came from the Village of the Cloud, there are seals on each and if you put chakara in them, it extends." Naruto took one and focused some chakara into the kunai. A seal appeared on the kunai and it turned into a length of a short sword.  
"So how do you turn it back?"  
"Well, after the chakara is consumed by the seal, it'll turn back into a kunai itself."  
"I'll buy a set." Naruto handed the man two silver coins, "Is these enough?"  
"Hai, that are quite more than enough…" The vendor's reply was cut off by a voice.  
"Naruto-kun!" A girl came running toward Naruto.  
She was average height, half a head shorter than Naruto. She was wearing a black undershirt, a blue zip-up jacket, a blue Khaki shorts, and black sandals. Her eyes were a dead give away to what clan she came from, pure white and with a tinge of silver in the middle, a Hyuga. As she came nearer to Naruto, she was suddenly seized by a shyness that she often displayed around Naruto. He always wondered why the little girl reminded him a little of the shy Hinata. Now he knows the reason: they are half sisters.  
"Naruto-kun, I passed the Genin exam." The girl said cutely(1).  
"Really, Hanabi-chan, you are probably rookie of the year huh?" Naruto ruffled the little girl's hair and the little girl blushed.  
"She tied with me, Oneechan(3)." A new voice spoke up.  
Both of them turned to a boy who was about Hanabi's height, wearing dark orange shirt, black cargo shorts and blue ninja sandals. His newly required headband was tied around his forehead, proudly showing that he is now a ninja.  
The girl, upon seeing him, immediately lost her shyness.  
"You cheated! You used your jutsu when we agree that it was going to be a purely taijitsu battle." The girl put her hands on her hips and glared at the boy.  
"Well, I said I would use taijitsu, but I never said I would not use anything else. It's your fault for not hearing me correctly." The boy smirked and that made the girl even angrier.  
"You are shameless!" Hanabi said with vehemence.  
"Kono-kun, stop it." Naruto stopped the two before things got out of hand.  
"Tell me Kono-kun(3), what technique did you use on her?" Naruto put his hand on the little girl's shoulder and that calmed her somewhat.  
"Oh, you know, that technique you taught me(2)…" Konohamaru said nervously, purposely avoiding Naruto's gaze.  
"Konohamaru! I told you not to use that technique, if you did not have a good control, you could end up blinding a person! And to use it on Hyugas is much more harmful because their eyes amplify vision many folds!" Naruto said sternly, making Konohamaru even more nervous.  
"I wasn't really thinking …she was really pressing me and I really wanted to not get hit by her Junken, so I…so I…" Seeing the boy panicking so much, Naruto immediately lost his anger.  
"It's ok ototo(3), I know you only did it as self defense, but next time think before you use a technique. And also, apologize to Hanabi-chan."  
The little boy reluctantly turned toward Hanabi.  
"Sorry, Hanabi-san." The little boy muttered softly.  
The girl had reverted back to her shy nature once more and only nodded. Naruto beckoned Konohamaru closer and handed the two children one weird shape kunai each.  
"Think of this as my congratulation of you graduating top honors. As for how to work the kunai, I would teach it to you after you complete your first mission." The two new Genins did not catch the slyness in Naruto's tone and eagerly pocketed the kunai.  
"Well, Kono-kun, I want you now to work on your taijitsu, to be pressed so badly by Hanabi-chan is no excuse, even if she's a Hyuga."  
Then turning to the girl, he asked, "Hanabi-chan, could you help me with his training?"  
Bending down so he could whisper into the girl's ear, "Make sure he is punished for his earlier action. Go all out on him, but do not damage him too badly. If you do, grandpa's going to be mad at me." Naruto said softly.  
The little girl smiled and nodded her head. Both left, running toward the direction of the training grounds. Naruto stared after them, reminiscing about his young genin days with his teammates. He was broken out of his reverie when the vendor tapped him on the shoulder. The man handed him one silver coin.  
"Sorry young sir, here's the change for the kunais."  
Naruto, however, refused the offered coin.  
"It's okay, keep the change. Think of it as teaching me how to work the seal."  
"Then, allow me to give you this." The man went back to his stand. He took out a key and opened an old chest. It opened with a groan and the man took out a scroll from among the various items.  
"Here, this scroll came with the kunais, but I could not understand the words on it." The man gave the scroll to Naruto. Naruto opened the scroll and examined the writing. The writings seemed faded and upon close observation appeared to be in a foreign language.  
"I have no better luck than you it seems. Are you really willing to part with this scroll for just a silver coin?" Naruto asked, ready to offer the man more.  
"Nonsense, this scroll is really useless to me since I am no ninja. Besides, I could not understand it anyway. So think of it as my thanks of doing business with you." The man bowed.  
"Alright, thanks. If you ever come to Konoha again, I would buy more from your shop." Naruto pocketed the scroll and with a wave ran into the crowd and disappeared.  
The vendor continued to gaze toward the direction where the young man had taken off. With a poof, his chakara enhanced disguise was dispelled.  
"Understand the scroll well Naruto-kun, and make your father proud(4)." With some hand signs, he along with his shop, disappeared. Meanwhile, the crowd continued on their way, never noticing the sudden absence of one of the shops. The noise of bargaining and advertisements and the ceaseless movements of the people soon swallowed up any remnant of the man's existence in the busy and noisy streets of the flourishing village known as Konoha.

(1) - I know, I might have made Hanabi seemed OC. But, Hanabi's characters were not really developed in the anime since she made so little appearance.

(2) - That technique was Genwaku Hirameki no jutsu used earlier in the stories by Kurenai. Naruto had seen the technique enough to come up with the necessary hand signs. Of course, it's a much weaker version than Kurenai's, but it's really useful when evading a person's attack.

(3) - Oneechan means older brother. Ototo means younger brother. Kono-kun is Naruto's petname for Konohamaru. (It was really laziness on my part because I did not want to call him Konohamaru-kun. Too many words!)

(4) - For those who did not figure out already, the kunais are indeed from Naruto's father. And yes, they are the kunis necessary to do Shushin no jutsu. As for the strange man, he would appear in later chapters. Let's just say that he is a aquaintance of Naruto's dad, for now.

Well, that's it. Hope you guys enjoyed it. I would definitely update faster now and hopefully within four days. As for the fate of Naruto's father, please give me an answer soon, onegai! Thank you guys and please R&R!


	9. Chapter 8 Siver Bracelet

My deepest opologies guys! 4 days had turned into a week and into almost a month. I guess I had overestimated my updating time. It's getting harder and harder to write each chapter and I think I really need longer time for each update. Hope you guys can forgive me. Anyways, thank you all for your reviews and the decision whether to keep Naruto's father alive had been decided, thank those who voted. I will work the choice into the plot, but I won't tell you the decision just yet, you just have to find out yourself huh? Ok, without further delay, here's the newest chapter of _Hinode_.

Chapter 8 _Silver Bracelet_

"Oji, give me one miso ramen!" Naruto said as he entered the restaurant known as Ichiraku Ramen.  
"Coming right up Naruto!" The old man threw noodles into the steaming pot and prepared the broth for the ramen.  
"Naruto-kun, where were you? We waited for almost an hour already!" Sakura made an angry expression, which scared Naruto very much.  
"Sakura-chan, the talk with my grandfather took longer than I thought…" Sakura's expression turned even darker and Naruto knew he had to do something fast.  
"Here Sakura-chan, I got you a present!" Naruto quickly fished out the sealed kunai and gave it to Sakura. He then turned to Sasuke and gave him one as well.  
"What so special about this kunai, I have plenty at home." Sasuke said.  
"Well, just watch, does your kunai do this?" Naruto got out a kunai, focused some chakara into the seal and the kunai extended.  
"Interesting." Sasuke said blandly, as if not interested at all. Sakura, however, eagerly inspected the kunai.  
"So seals could be placed on kunai huh? Never thought of that before." Sakura said slowly after examining the seal for some time.  
"I know. Jiraiya haven't taught me enough yet, but I'm going to experiment with my own seal on the kunai. Who knows, maybe I could make the kunai change into other weapons." Naruto sat down with his teammates. The old man's daughter, Ayame, walked toward their table with their orders.  
"Naruto-kun, how come you haven't come as often?" Ayame asked her favorite customer.  
"Oh, well, I had been busy lately with missions and you know my training routines. Also, my grandfather insisted that I eat something else other than ramen." Naruto smiled sheepishly.  
"Well, today's my birthday. Did you get me anything or did you forget?" Ayame took the bowl of ramen that Naruto was about to eat and smiled darkly. Naruto, fully aware that if he did not answer quickly, he will not get any ramen, fished out a silver bracelet that he had bought earlier at the market and gave it to the ramen girl.  
"Here Ayame-chan, I remembered." Ayame, seeing the bracelet, relented his ramen and put the bracelet on her wrist.  
"Thank you Naruto, I love it!" Giving Naruto a small peck on the cheek, she blushed and vanished into the kitchen.  
"So, Naruto, going that far with a girl already?" Sasuke smirked.  
"Shut up Sasuke, just because you got the whole women population to do your bidding does not mean you understand relationship. Ayame and I are more like siblings. Ok? Like brother and sister. Would you ever go out with your sister?"  
"I don't have a sister you moron." Sasuke said.  
"Who you calling a moron, you bastard!" Naruto gritted his teeth.  
"Both of you, act your age!" Sakura screamed at the two boys. Both of them instantly forsook their arguments for fear of their health. Sakura could be quite the monster when she is angry. The three enjoyed their ramen in comfortable conversation, enjoying each other's company.  
"Hey, what do you think our mission would be huh? Would we fight any other shinobi from the other villages?" Sakura asked when she finished her meal.  
"Don't know, Kakashi didn't give any details." Sasuke replied, also done with his bowl of ramen.  
"Oh I know about the mission. We are escorting a priestess to a convent." Naruto, done with his fifth bowl, said.  
"I heard one of the legendary Senin is in the North, my father had told me that her name was Tsunande. She is a famous medic-nin." Sasuke informed his teammates.  
"What, it's her? Jiraiya is always talking about her. How no one is around to keep him in check and give him a hard time." Sakura frowned at the lack of respect that Naruto expressed toward his sensei but did not comment on it.  
"Well, let's go to my house. I have a scroll I wanted to show you guys." Sakura said.  
They got up and since Naruto was late, he offered to pay. His teammates then headed outside to wait for him. The old man came out of the kitchen and Naruto handed him the money.  
"Keep the change Oji, think of it as my apology for not coming everyday." The old man then smile and patted Naruto on the shoulder.  
"It's ok Naruto, I know you are working hard. Just be sure not to overexert yourself, you hear. It's not healthy to train for such a long periods of time. You have to rest as well."  
"Don't worry old man, I will. Oh yeah, tell Ayame that I am leaving for a mission okay? Probably for one to two months."  
"Well be careful ok, I do not want to lose my favorite customer." The old man said worriedly.  
"Don't worry, it's a C-rank mission, that means I will not fight another enemy ninja. The most I am going to get are bandits and ruffians, and they are piece of cake!" Naruto reassured the old man.  
"Hey baka, how long do you plan to make us wait?" Sasuke shouted from outside the shop. "Well, guess I'll be going now. See you in two months old man. You will definitely be the first one I visit I promise!" Naruto waved and exited the shop.  
"Are you sure you don't want to tell him before he goes, Aya-chan?" The old man turned to his one and only daughter, who had been listening to their conversation from behind the kitchen door.  
"No. I will tell him when he gets back. Beside, if I tell him, he might be distracted during his mission." Ayame glanced at the shiny silver bracelet on her wrist, on it has the inscription "To My Dear Sister". She stared at the words for a moment, then smiled sadly.  
"Besides, I might never be anything more to him other than a sister…"

Well that's the end. As for Ayame and Naruto's relationship, it's really oneside. Unless hehehe, I decided otherwise, I don't know for sure yet. As for Sasuke's family, I decided to keep them around rather than kill them off. As for Itachi's insanity, I don't think so. I always loved to read about Itachi being good. So, I decided to keep him around Konoha. However, Sasuke still has issues with his brother, always being in his brother's giant shadow. Sasuke is less angst in my story and can actually have a good time. As for the old man at Ichiraku, he is like a father figure to Naruto. He had taken care of Naruto and let him stay over during this four years when the Third is too busy to take care of Naruto. If you guys want, I could create flashbacks and reveal the past four years: like Sasuke and Naruto's confrontation, Sakura and Naruto's friendship, Ayame and Naruto's relationship and maybe more. But I think that will put more burden on me huh? Who cares, as long as you guys like it, I will do my best to please you. After all, I'm writing this story for you guys right? Anyways, please review, thanks!


	10. Chapter 9 Dark Clouds

Sorry, Sorry! I know it's been three months since I last updated, but lately I just could not find the time to actually sit in front of my computer and type. It's all about college essays, homeworks, AP Test prep., and school. Finally, in the month of February, I found some time to write. So here's the latest chapter to Hinode, hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter 9 _Dark Clouds_

"Why do we have to take the long way home?" Naruto whined as he avoided another tree branches that would have knocked him out.

The three passed by the training fields and were currently advancing toward the East gate of the village. They had just left the ramen shop and were walking toward Sakura's house when Sakura suddenly jumped up toward the roof of a nearby apartment complex and started running toward the training fields. Naruto and Sasuke took off immediately after her and they had been leaping and running for last fifteen minutes.

"Do you want to explain why we have to waste our energy when we could just walk?" Sasuke questioned Sakura.

"Well, it's just that I forgot to run an errand for my mom, since we were having mushrooms for dinner, my mom asked me to get some from the market. But the market is probably packed now and I for one did not want to be like packed sardines among all the crowd. I remembered there was a place where mushrooms usually grows outside the village and I figured fresh and free mushrooms are the best. Also, I kind of had too much noodles at lunch and wanted some exercise." Sakura explained to her teammates while they were jumping and leaping over tree branches after tree branches. The three did not speak anymore and focused more on keeping up with the fast pace.

Soon, they saw the East gate, the main gate of Konoha. As of always, there were many people coming and going out the gate consisted mainly of travelers and merchants. The three ninjas approached a Chunin and stated their names, rank and purpose for leaving. Since they often went out on missions, the Chunin guard knew them by face and allowed them to pass. They took off and went toward the place with Sakura leading the way.

"Hey, you guys want to make this fun? Let's see who can get the most mushrooms by the time sun sets!" Naruto asked his other two teammates.

"Why do you always have to make everything a game? Isn't picking mushrooms hard enough work?" Sasuke gave a sigh.

"Common Sasuke-kun, I think it's fun." Sakura turned to the dark brooding teammate, hoping he would join them.

"Fine, but you guys stand no chance." Sasuke smirked and took off ahead of the other two.

"Come back here you cheater!" Naruto exclaimed and took off after Sasuke.

Sakura smiled and shook her head. She looked at a falling cherry blossom and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment.

"It's been four years since I first met Naruto huh?" She said to herself. She then shook her head and with two starting strides, took off after her two teammates.

Somewhere in the village, two dark figures entered a building. The building appeared to be abandoned with only broken furnitures and fallen ceiling tiles. The two walked a little further and stopped. One of them executed some hand signs and placed his right hand on a wall. Immediately chakara flowed into the walls and spread out from his hand. Then a seal appeared briefly then disappeared. The wall vibrated and then shook violently for a moment before a doorway appeared at where the dark figure placed his hand. The two entered and the wall became normal again.

"You guys are late." A cold voice said. The two entered a dark room, with only torches to illuminate the room. The two approached the sound of the voice and got on their knees.  
"We are terribly sorry, the last guy gave us a little trouble." One of the them said. The torch light up their face, revealing them to be ninjas from Konoha.  
"Never mind, I want you two to run another errand for me." The cold voice said. The two ninjas glanced at the figure in the shadow, but bowed their heads again when their eyes met the piercing orbs of the shadowy figure.  
"As you command." The two said dutifully.  
The figure stood up, coming toward the two but stopping just within the perimeter of lighted area. The two piercing eyes focused on the two ninja and figure smirked darkly.  
"I want you two to eliminate Hyuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto."

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For those of you who gave comment about Itachi, I will decide later whether he will fit in my villain list or my good guy list. As for powering Hinata too much, I will just make her powerful enough to defend herself. Of course her nature will never allow her to attack others first so do not worry about whether she will become super powerful. As for Naruto's bloodline, I still have not figured out. But it should not manifest it self quite yet. Also, Naruto and Hinata's reunion will come up really soon, so hope you guys will be patient. I will update in three more weeks. As always, R&R. Thanks!


	11. Chapter 10 Long Waited Reunion

Hey you guys it has been a while hasn't it. Very sorry for the LATE LATE update. I have college now and I had now found out how useful my mom is. Without her, I had not done any of my homework. It has been playing playing and playing these two weeks. Well, hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 10 _Long Waited Reunion_

¨Sixty...sixty-one..." Naruto quickly dash around the forest trying to collect more mushrooms.

It has been two hours since the game has started and he wasn't about to lose to Sakura-chan and that arrogant bastard. If he lose, he would have to treat them to three weeks worth of lunch when they get back from their mission. His Gama-chan simply could not bear the brunt of all those meal expenses.

While thinking of the mission yet to come, his thoughts quickly shifted to a certain shy priestess in training. In the past four years, he had written to her numerous times, keeping their friendship strong. He told her many things, about his life at Konoha, his training, his various missions (excluding the parts that are confidential), and his teammates and friends. In turn, she had told him about her training and things going on at the convent.

Through her letters, Naruto had sensed some suppressed loneliness. He could not really blame her, he feel somewhat lonely also. Despite the fact that he had two teammates who he see on a consistent basis and friends he had made while staying at this village, none of those came close to that brief time he had spent with Hinata. To say simply, there was distance between him and the rest of his peers. Since he was the Hokage's grandson, every one automatically treat him respectfully. They addressed him with honorific and without their knowledge, placed a wall between themselves and Naruto.

There was also the constant pressure placed on him to excel. Since his adopted grandfather is Hokage, people naturally think that he would wanted to take his grandfather's place. Although he personally wanted to see that happen, he could not but feel overwhelmed sometimes. Often, he wish he could go back in time and return to the convent, the place where life was simple, just him spending time with Hinata.

Just then, he sensed a presence behind him. He subtly reached for his kunai in his holster and threw it behind him. The kunai made a low thud hitting the tree where the presence was at a second ago. Naruto then felt something behind him. Quickly turning around, he strikes without seeing who it was.

"Now, is that anyway to treat your sensei?" The man known as Hatake Kakashi caught the blonde's fist and threw Naruto back. Naruto flipped in the air and managed to land on his feet before he hits the ground.

"Kakashi-sensei, what did I tell you about sneaking up on me. I thought I made it clear to you that if you ever did it again, I would tell Jiraiya to not sell you those perverted books that you love so much."

Kakashi winced a little, as if Naruto had injured him physically. He quickly try to calm the blonde.

"Sorry, I just could not resist. You were so concentrated on something. I just wanted to remind you that if you do that when mission time comes, you would jeopardize either your teammates or yourself. A shinobi had to be aware of his surrounding always..."

"Sorry to interrupt you Kakashi-sensei, but if all you are doing here is to lecture me, I would ask you to please leave me. I do not want to lose three weeks worth of lunch money." Saying this, Naruto returned to picking mushrooms. Kakashi scowled a little at the blonde's rude attitude, but smirked when he remembered what he was here for.

"Actually, Naruto-kun, I happened to catch a little wind of a certain priestess making her way toward the East gate. I think I heard that she would show up right around this afternoon..."

A blur shot past Kakashi, heading toward the East gate. Kakashi smiled and picked up the bag containing Naruto's mushrooms and decide to check on his other two students. He couldn't stop thinking about how the blonde reminded him of Minato sensei. When it comes to his precious person, nothing matters.

"Sensei, Naruto had become stronger these past four years. I only wish I have your wisdom to teach him properly. But you can be assured that I taught him all that I can. And when the time comes, I will tell him of his heritage and the burden that come with it. But for now, I will let him enjoy happiness a little longer."

* * *

"Kurenai-sama, do you want to stop a bit?" Hinata asked her mentor, seeing Kurenai's face pale and out of breath.

"No Hinata-chan, we will stop only at the village. It's not that far away now."

Kurenai could hear her body screaming for her to stop running. She could not understand what those masked man would want with her and Hinata, but she knows itˇs not for good reason. Also, she could sense that there something wrong with her body. She should be able to run for a long time without being tired so easily. All of the sudden, she fell down and Hinata seeing this, immediately stopped.

"Kurenai-sensei, what's wrong?" Then seeing her sensei coughed out blood, Hinata immediately tried to heal her sensei. However, Kurenai stopped her.

"Hinata-chan, leave me, I sensed strong poison within my body, a poison that I don't even know how to cure. Leave me Hinata, go to the village." She took out a envelope from her robe and gave it to Hinata.

"Take this envelope to the Hokage of the village, He should know what to do once he read the letter. Now go. I will take care of those two."

However, before Hinata could even make a move, the two masked man appeared in front of them. Their mask was ghostly white and held no semblances that identified what village they are from.

"Give up now and we will make your end that much quicker." One of the two man said, while the other started to approach the two priestesses. Kurenai struggled to get up, but her body would not respond. Hinata got in front of Kurenai and shielded her.

"Why are you doing this? What have we done that made you resort to this? I have never seen you two in my life!" Hinata was starting to panic. The closer masked man took out a scroll and then went through a couple of hand seals. The scroll then disappeared, replaced by a black blade.

"Any last words?" The man with the blade said, ready to strike the girl. Suddenly Hinata's eyes widened but quickly smiled.

"Just one, duck!" She quickly dropped down.

The man surprised by her action, quickly turned around, only to be hit by a giant windmill shruiken. The shruiken's force carried the man and pinned him to a nearby tree. Before his companion had time to react, a man appeared behind him and knocked him unconscious by striking his neck.

"Hinata-chan, long time no see!"


	12. Chapter 11 New Purpose

Chapter 11_ New Purpose_

"Kurenai-sensei!" Hinata seeing no response coming from her mentor started to gather her chakara and attempted to heal the poisoned woman. However she was stopped by Kakashi, who had just made sure that the two masked men were really down for the count. He then took out a red pill and stuffed it into Kurenai's mouth.

"This will help her regenerate chakara faster, which should prevent the poison from getting to the internal organs. I will take her quickly back to Konoha for further treatment. Naruto, escort this young lady back to the Hokage tower and report the situation to the Hokage. Sakura and Sasuke, take these two to see Ibiki." He then scooped up the unconscious Kurenai and with a wave, disappeared with a swirl of leaves.

"Hinata-chan, don't worry about Kurenai-sama, she's in good hands." Naruto put his hand on the blue head's shoulder, trying to calm her down. Hinata nodded reluctantly while still looking at the spot where Kakashi had disappeared. After a while she finally turned toward her childhood friend and her savior. She could see he had grew considerably. He now stood half a head taller than her, probably about 5'6. His face now seemed more chiseled and held no traces of baby fat. His unruly hair was longer and held back by his forehead protector. He was wearing a dark blue vest, black undershirt, black khaki short and black sandals. What attracted Hinata however, was the dark red twin blades that was attached to his belt. Naruto seeing her observing his weapon, took them out of their sheath.

"Beautiful aren't they? Hinata-chan, meet Dawn and Dusk, my two babies."

"Naruto-kun, stop bragging about the swords and come help me carry this guy!" Sakura yelled at Naruto and got him to carry one of the masked man. Meanwhile, Naruto was grumbling to himself about how woman can't appreciate weapon. He and Sasuke fell behind carrying the tied up and unconscious men while Sakura and Hinata walked on.

"Sorry, once Naruto starts talking about his swords he never stops. Always telling us the story on how he got the swords." Sakura said apologetically. Hinata smiled slightly, thinking that despite changing in appearance, Naruto was still the same boy she knew four years ago.

"So you must be the priestess that we are supposed to be escorting. My name is Haruno Sakura, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She then point to her other two teammate.

"The one with the black hair is Uchiha Sasuke, and the one with the unruly blonde hair is Sarutobi Uzumaki Naruto."

"Pleasure to meet you, my name is Hinata." Hinata bowed.

"Hinata? As in Naruto's best friend Hinata-chan? The mysterious girl he can't stop talking about?"

"Yes, I am that Hinata." Hinata blushed said shyly.

"So how did you and Naruto meet? I would like to hear it from your point of view. Naruto tends to exaggerate a lot in his stories." Sakura rolled her eyes while Hinata giggled softly.

"Yes, he does that sometimes when he was telling me about his missions. I am pretty sure you guys did not fight any ten foot troll looking man carrying a giant cleaver did you?" Hinata asked.

"Oh, you mean the wave mission. Yeah he was exaggerating. Zabuza was a beast but Kakashi-sensei did eventually beat him. The bridge builder was safe and completed the bridge. Naruto must have told you how that was our first A-rank mission right?" Sakura asked the other female.

"Well he did say something like that, and I was glad that everything turned out alright at the end. Though, Naruto never did tell me whatever happened to Zabuza and his assistant?"

"Well, Haku, who was the assistant is now working at the Konoha hospital. Zabuza however..."

"He gave up his life to protect his precious person. He protected the unconscious Haku from the wrath of Gato's hired men." Naruto somberly said, memories of what happened flashed before his eyes.

**flashback**

"I see clearly into your future, and that is death!"

Kakashi activated his raikaiti and charged straight toward Zabuza, who was held down by Kakashi's summoned dogs. Seconds before he strike, Haku appeared right in front of Zabuza intending to take the blow. Kakashi can only watch helplessly as his electrically charged hand approaching closer and closer toward the vulnerable girl. At the last moment however, Naruto with amazing speed barreled straight into Kakashi, knocking him off course. Zabuza seeing this, broke free of the nin dogs. With couple of slashes and they all disappeared. He then turned toward the now chakara exhausted Kakashi, intending to kill him. Kakashi struggled to stand and Naruto got into a fighting stance. However, Haku stood in front of both Kakashi and Naruto with her hands outstretched.

"Zabuza-sama, it's over, Naruto said that he could give us a place to live in Konoha. He is the Hokage's grandson and can get us reinstated as Konoha nin. We can finally stop running Zabu..." Haku fell to the ground.

"Haku!"

Zabuza ran toward the girl, Naruto who was much closer to her got there first. Zabuza seeing this was ready to attack the blonde. Naruto quickly held up his hands ensuring Zabuza he meant no harm.

"I am somewhat trained in medical jutsu. I can help her."

He then checked Haku's pulse. After a while, he stood up and gave a smile to the tense Zabuza.

"She is just physically tired and chakara exhausted. After about two days of rest, she should be normal again. As for the deal Haku was talking about, I will definintely do my best to convince my grandpa. I heard you were set up by the Mizukage and you didn't really try to assassinate him. I am sure if you tell your side of the story to my grandpa, he will understand. So how about it? Will you come with us alive and well back to Konoha? Or will I have to put you in a body bag?"

Zabuza saw Naruto pulled out two crimson blades, ready to fight if he refuse. Zabuza considered his option. He was without an arm and had very little chakara left. He might be able to beat this genin in front of him. However, that will leave him vulnerable to the now resting Kakashi. If what this brat said was true, both he and Haku would no longer had to wander from place to place, trying to survive and escape from hunter nins. To him, this was not really a hard decision. He dropped his huge blade to the ground and sighed.

"Ok you win brat, I will come with you to Konoha."

Naruto hearing this sheathed his twin blades and helped Kakashi up. He then look behind Zabuza, at the puddle of water that was on the ground.

"Great! Hey Sakura-chan drop the henge and carry Sasuke back to the old man's house. I got to help Kakashi-sensei. Zabuza I assume you got Haku-chan? Good! Let's go..."

However they did not get very far, hundred of yards ahead stood a crowd of men all carrying some type of weapons. In front of them stood Gato smirking evilly.

"Well, well, never had I thought the demon of the mist will beg for mercy. You could not even kill an old man and lost pathetically to three little brats. No matter, I wasn't going to pay you anyway."

Zabuza gritted his teeth and picked up his huge blade, however, the weight was too much for his injured arm. He dropped the weapon back on the ground.

"Men! Kill them all! Keep the two bitches alive though, they will bring good sums of money at the slave market." Gato's men charged. Zabuza then turned to Naruto.

"Got any ideas?"

"Judging by the way they run, I would say they have little or no chakara. They are probably no more than common thugs. We should have no problem dealing with them."

Naruto then put his fingers in a cross sign. Ten more Narutos popped to existence.

"Zabuza, you should stay back, you are in no condition to fight."

"Brat, don't tell me what I can do and not do. Gato has threatened me and my precious person. I will not rest until he is lying in his own pool of blood. Just give me a kunai and stay out of my way!"

"Why you! Naruto-kun spared your life. Don't throw it away so meaninglessly. Judging by your stance and the heavy breaths you are taking, I would say you are almost out of chakara. Just stay by Haku-san's side and we will handle this."

She then took out a kunai and got ready to fight. However, she yelped in surprise as her kunai disappeared out of her hand. All of Naruto's clones poofed away.

"I am the demon of the Hidden Mist, I will not go down that easily!"

Zabuza then disappeared and reappeared in front of the charging men and ran into the crowd. Soon there were cries and screams coming from the bandits. One by one they all dropped dead and soon there were only a few left.

"Naruto-kun, isn't he almost out of chakara? Yet, how can he still move that fast..."

Rather than Naruto, it was Kakashi that answered.

"You will be surprised what your body can do when you are protecting a precious person."

Kakashi then thought of his own teammate who sacrificed his life to save him. He had promised himself that he would never let anyone he cared for die in front of him again and he almost broke that promise on this mission.

With a few slashes, Zabuza dropped the last guy. He soon turned to Gato, who by now had started running.

"Stay back! Stay back! Ah!" He screamed as Zabuza appeared in front of him.

"Hope you like the heat, because I am sending you straight to hell!"

With a clean slash across the throat, the ship magnate Gato is no more.

Zabuza then dropped to the ground. Naruto ran to him quickly and examined him. There were multiple swords and knives sticking out of his body and he was losing a lot of blood.

"Guess I got careless huh?"

"Don't talk and save your strength."

Naruto then tries to heal him but Zabuza stopped him.

"My time has come. Just promise me one thing. Take...Haku to that village of yours a...and let her li...live a peaceful life. She ne...ne...never did like fi...fighting..."

"I promise you, I will do all that is in my power to give her a peaceful life." Naruto swear solemnly.

"You are not so bad brat...if I had only met you a little sooner..." With that, the Demon of the Hidden Mist took his last breath.

**flashback ends**

"And that was how the mission turned out in the end. We buried Zabuza near the village, up on a hill that looked out into the ocean. Naruto-kun also convinced the villagers to make a memorial for him seeing that he was the one that singlehandedly kill off all the bandits and took down Gato."

"Zabuza's death was a hard blow to Haku. It seemed that without Zabuza, she no longer had a purpose in life. One time she almost came close at killing her self. If Naruto-kun wasn't there to keep an eye on her, she would have succeeded..."

**flashback**

Naruto leaped into action, restraining Haku and knocking the senbon out of her hands. Haku, who was too weak to struggle, collapsed suddenly into Naruto's ready arms and finally let out what she had been keeping in for days. She held on to Naruto's shirt and started to sob uncontrollably. Naruto awkwardly put his arms around Haku not knowing how to stop the girl from crying. After a while, Haku finally calmed down enough to face Naruto.

"Why did you stop me? I am nothing now and the only person who cared about me is gone. I didn't even get to say goodbye to him. I was useless, unable to stop all my precious people from dying. Okasan, Zabuza-sama, they were all taken from me. In the end, I am just that little orphan girl on that bridge that nobody cared about. It would have been much better if I.."

"Stop Haku! stop! Thatˇs not what Zabuza wanted for you. I made a promise to him that I would give you a peaceful life, and I never go back on my promise. You see, Haku-chan, Zabuza's dying thought had been for you to live on. You must honor his wishes and make that your new purpose in life. Live for the sake of the ones you lost. I am sure Zabuza and even your okasan would want that."

Naruto then bonked Haku on the head gently.

"And who said that you don't have anybody that cared about you? I cared about you! I am sure Kakashi-sensei cared about you! And even Sakura-chan! Hell, I am sure Sasuke-teme might even shed a tear or two if you had wound up killing yourself. So stop thinking that you are all alone in this world ok? You will always have me Haku-chan and that is the promise of a lifetime!" Naruto quickly flashed his foxy smile.

Haku looked at Naruto, the boy who had taken her resolve to end her life and had given her another purpose. This boy had done so much for her and she didn't know how to repay him. She quickly launched herself forward and embraced Naruto.

"Th...Thank you Naruto-san, thank you..."

"Hey why are you crying again?" Naruto panicked thinking she was still upset.

"I am happy Naruto-san, I am crying because I am happy."

**flashback ends**

"So after that incident, Haku-san had finally brighten up somewhat. After we finally returned to our village, she was quickly rein instated as a chunin. Kakashi-sensei told the Hokage that her skill level is much higher and that she could have taken the jounin exam if she had wanted to. However, Haku-san decided that she wanted to become a medic nin to save people instead of kill. So she join the hospital and quickly became one of the top medic nin of Konoha. So your sensei is in very good hands I assure you.〃

Hinata smiled and slowly nodded her head.

"If Naruto-kun trust in Haku-san's skill, then I am not worried at all."

"Common Hinata-chan, I am sure by the time we get back to the village, your sensei would have recovered. Haku-chan's an expert on all poisons."

Sakura, who had been busy talking to Hinata finally realized that the third teammate has gone missing.

"Hey, where did Sasuke-kun go?"

"Oh, Sasuke? He went up ahead already. He said something about enjoying his last big meal or something like that. What did he mean?" Naruto asked Sakura.

"Oh...um nothing...I am sure that he was just hungry. After all we are going on a mission after all. Not many chances to eat a good meal..." Sakura answered quickly and Naruto didn't press any further.

"Speaking of food, I have to hurry back or my mom's going to kill me. Nice meeting you Hinata-san, I will see you tomorrow."

Sakura quickly grabbed the bind up assassin from Naruto and dashed off after Sasuke.

Hinata seeing Sakura leave became quite again. She wanted to ask Naruto so many questions, questions that could not be answered on just a piece of paper. However, she did not know where to start.

Naruto, who did not realize the awkward silence, flashed Hinata his foxy smile.

"Hey Hinata-chan, have you ever heard of ramen?"


End file.
